The Baptism of Russia (Viktor Vasnetsov, 1896)
Patriarch Aleksei II of Moscow and all Russia, after consulting with President Vladimir Putin, decided to visit Kiev this summer to take part in celebrations marking the 1020th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia. An invitation for him to do so was extended by Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in February. Although there is agreement in general terms that the joint celebration can lay a foundation for unity amongst the Ukraine, Russia, and Byelorussia, there are mixed feelings amongst Ukrainian churchmen concerning the participation of His Holiness in the event.
Since 2006, the organisation of the festival has been in the hands of a public group known as “The Day of the Baptism of Russia” founded by the Moscow Patriarchate, political leaders, and secular philanthropists. Anniversary celebrations are planned to occur over the course of the year in 26 Ukrainian cities and they kicked off right after Easter. One of the organisers, Vasili Gorbal, a deputy of the Supreme Rada, stated that religious processions with the relics of Grand Prince St Vladimir Equal-to-the-Apostles and Baptiser of Russia, accompanied by wonder-working icons and holy objects from celebrated Ukrainian monasteries, shall occur in all major cities in the Ukraine. They shall be placed for veneration in the main cathedrals of the cities and festive services shall be held before them.
In addition, there are plans to hold academic and theological conferences dedicated to the anniversary. Furthermore, concerts of various sorts shall be held during the summer, featuring such disparate ensembles as church choirs, youth choruses, and popular rock bands such as Bratya Karamozovy (The Brothers Karamazov), DDT, and Pesnyary. Representatives of the Orthodox Church shall attend all of the concerts and celebrity musicians shall take part in them gratis as a charitable contribution to the festival. “First of all, we see the celebration of the Baptism of Russia as a means of spiritual enlightenment. Spreading Christian values shall remind our people of their great history and unite all generations and regions”, Mr Gorbal explained.
The Secretariat of the Ukrainian President has the same opinion. “The state shall support this celebration to foster a spirit of unity”, said Yuri Bogutsky, the deputy head of the secretariat. The topic of unity also entered into the discussions of Patriarch Aleksei with President Vladimir Putin on the subject. Despite the political and economic conflicts between the Ukraine and Russia, Orthodoxy can be the seed of a new unity, leaders of both the church and state believe.
Baptism of the Grand Princess St Olga (Part 1 of the Triptych “Holy Rus”) (Sergei Kirillov, 1992)
However, Ukrainian church figures did not have a unified and harmonious response to the joint festival. According to “Archbishop” Dmitri of the “Patriarchate of Kiev” (uncanonical schismatics supported by the EP: editor’s note), rector of its theological academy, said in an interview broadcast on Radio Ukraina that the visit of Patriarch Aleksei must be the beginning “of a deliberate dialogue between the Churches of the Patriarchates of Kiev (sic) and Moscow so that we may end hostilities between them”. He did not rule out protests against the festivities, although he claimed that the “Kiev Patriarchate” was not planning them. “You shall recall that parishioners of the MP protested the visit of the Pope to the Ukraine. I remember that there were protests against the visit of Patriarch Aleksei II when he visited Kiev in 1990. Protests against [this celebration] cannot be ruled out”, he said.
The “Archbishop” explained that the unsympathetic attitude of some Ukrainian believers [to this celebration] is due to the hostile attitude of the MP to the Ukraine, “caused by lay brotherhoods and unions in the church with a virulently anti-Ukrainian agenda”. He did not accuse the Ukrainian Autonomous Orthodox Church of the MP (the sole canonical body in the Ukraine: editor’s note) of complicity with these groups, but, claimed that these movements are supported by the Russian government. He alleged that Patriarch Aleksei “rewards the leaders of these brotherhoods and movements with church distinctions”. Furthermore, he added that he felt that another reason for disquiet amongst believers was that Patriarch Aleksei refused to remove the anathema from Ataman Mazeppa (a figure in 17th century Little Russian history: editor’s note) in February when requested to do so by Ukrainian President Yushchenko.
Andrei Yurash, a Galician political scientist affiliated with Lvov Ivan Franko University (a Uniate stronghold: editor’s note), believes that the conciliatory gestures of Ukrainian President Yushchenko towards the MP are in error. In an interview with the newspaper Lvovskoy Gazeta (Lvov Gazette), he thought that it was possible that the visit of Patriarch Aleksei, when seen against the background of current inter-governmental and inter-church relations, would be detrimental [to peaceful relations]. Mr Yurash gave his statistics [for religious adherence in the Ukraine]. 75 percent of all Ukrainians are Orthodox (MP, the “Kiev Patriarchate”, and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (samosvyatsy, “self-consecrators”, another schismatic group: editor’s note)), 8 percent are Uniate Catholics, 1 percent are Roman Catholics, and 2 percent are Protestants.
Metropolitan Vladimir Sabodan of Kiev, all the Ukraine, and Galych, Confessor-First Hierarch of the Ukrainian Autonomous Orthodox Church of the MP. A true hero of the Faith.
Apparently, political concerns, not religious sensibilities, prompt the uneasiness of some Ukrainians towards this MP-sponsored celebration. This was seen especially as the preparations for the festival were underway, as irritation was noticed, even then, in factions within Ukrainian society. Konstantin Zatulin, the Director of the Institute of the CIS, recently named the representatives of the “Kiev Patriarchate” as the main culprits, accusing them of open opposition to the presence of Patriarch Aleksei on Ukrainian territory. He believes that the visit shall “disrupt the plans” of those churchmen trying to distance themselves from Moscow, for the declared object of the festival is to lay the groundwork for the reconciliation of the churches.
The well-known political scientist Sergei Markov made a bold statement in regards to this celebration of the Baptism of Russia by these three related peoples. “Most would say that this is a united nation divided by artificial state borders. Moreover, this distinction is largely imposed by outside sources. I think that if there was no foreign interference, it is very likely that these peoples would reunite within the framework of a united state”.
Meanwhile, according to the results of an opinion poll carried out by Democratic Initiatives and the Ukrainian Sociological Service, the two leaders of the largest Christian churches of the Ukraine, Philaret Denisenko (“Kiev Patriarchate”) and Metropolitan Vladimir Sabodan of Kiev and all Ukraine (MP, the canonical archpastor) have a practically identical level of approval amongst respondents, 31.4 percent and 31.3 percent respectively. Patriarch Aleksei II of Moscow and all Russia and Benedict XVI, the Pope of Rome, also share similar approval ratings, 29.3 percent and 28.5 percent respectively. Practically no one reported negative feelings toward the leadership of another confession. Interestingly, only 11.8 percent of the Orthodox respondents feel that the Ukrainian church should be totally absorbed into the MP.
19 March 2008
Nezavisimaya Gazeta
Interfax-Religion
http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=print&div=8345 (in Russian)
Editor’s Note:
NG is one of my favourite sources in Russian, and one can see why.
Note the widespread support in the Ukraine for this festival. It is a clear sign of where the true sympathies of the Ukrainian people lie. The groups most in opposition to this are found in the schismatic splinter groups amongst the Orthodox. Objective sources state that 85 percent of Orthodox in the Ukraine are in the canonical church under the MP. To put it another way, only 15 percent are in the breakaway factions. This is after 17 years of unrelenting pressure from “nationalists” on MP clergy and parishioners to defect to the renegade bodies! I would say that this is evidence that the vast majority of Ukrainians wish to keep ties with Moscow.
It is apparent that Denisenko and his minions intend to try and disrupt the festivities. I say, let them try! It shall backfire, as all such attempts invariably do. The poll results quoted in the last paragraph must be taken with a grain of salt, as the poll was conducted by pro-Orange organisations. Nevertheless, they are useful. Even with a skewed sample, the results show a high level of trust in Moscow. The actual level is probably higher. The figures quoted by Mr Yurash as regards religious adherence are probably spot-on accurate. Just because he is a spokesman for a Vatican-financed institution does not mean that he is incorrect in everything.
One of the reasons I started this blog is that the information available in the West concerning Russia is skewed unfavourably due to the activities of the Galician diaspora. If they wish to air their views, let them, I say. I am merely presenting “the other side of the story” (hat tip to Paul Harvey). This is due to the fact that there are more Galicians and their descendants in the US and Canada than there are Great Russians (a completely opposite situation to that found in the homeland). Nothing sinister at all, truly. I wish that God sends them His blessings and good things, and that their personal lives are abundant and full. Political disagreement should never descend to personal incivility. God expects better of us, I say.
